Recently, in Datong City, Shanxi province, the chief obstetrician of the First People’s Hospital was exposed for allegedly being involved in facilitating the buying and selling of babies, causing public concern.
According to a report by “The Beijing News,” the journalist received a tip-off that Dr. Wang Qing, the chief obstetrician at the First Hospital in Datong, Shanxi, was allegedly involved in baby trafficking.
On January 2nd, anti-human trafficking volunteer Shang Guanzheng told “Ongoing News” that in November 2023, Wang Qing was criminally detained for this matter and released on bail pending trial 28 days later. On November 20, 2024, the Pingcheng District Procuratorate in Datong city decided not to prosecute him.
The “Non-Prosecution Decision” shows that in mid-March 2022, a 15-year-old girl named Gao became pregnant. She was recommended to Wang Qing by a friend of Gao’s mother. With Wang Qing’s introduction, Gao and her mother met a buyer who was unable to have children. Gao then entered the hospital with the buyer’s identification information and gave birth to a baby boy on May 4, 2022. The buyer took the baby and paid 68,000 yuan (RMB), of which Gao’s mother received 41,000 yuan through an intermediary. Three days later, the buyer obtained a birth medical certificate and completed the household registration for the baby.
The procuratorate believed that Wang Qing’s actions constituted the crime of forging state documents. However, due to Wang Qing’s lack of previous criminal record, truthful confession upon apprehension, and the relatively minor nature of the crime, he was not indicted.
Nevertheless, Shang Guanzheng believes there are still unresolved questions in the case. When the buyer paid 68,000 yuan in cash at the time, but Gao’s mother received 41,000 yuan, where did the 27,000 yuan difference go? Additionally, in early November 2024, Shang Guanzheng received a tip-off alleging that “Wang Yun, a cleaner on the fourth floor of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Datong Women and Children’s Hospital, participated in the trafficking of babies for profit.”
The Datong Women and Children’s Hospital is the same as the First People’s Hospital in Datong. According to Shang Guanzheng on January 2, 2025, Wang Yun has been working as a cleaner in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the First People’s Hospital in Datong for five to six years. When someone didn’t want to raise their child, they would turn to her to find a buyer, and she would earn a referral fee. Wang Yun was not the only one engaged in baby trafficking; there were also hospital staff involved.
After Shang Guanzheng’s investigation, Wang Yun admitted, “Some doctors used to do that before, but now no one dares to.” This was because a doctor involved in such matters was investigated before. According to her, the doctor under investigation was Wang Qing, the chief of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. The case was brought to light when the biological father of the sold child (the ex-boyfriend of the 15-year-old girl) was sentenced to death for murder, which was uncovered during the investigation.
However, a few days after the procuratorate’s decision not to prosecute Wang Qing, Wang Yun was dismissed after being reported by someone. Wang Qing is still currently practicing in the hospital’s obstetric department. The hospital stated that Wang Qing had been removed from his party and administrative duties, with a portion of his salary being deducted.
On December 26, 2024, Shang Guanzheng discovered at the First People’s Hospital in Datong that Peng, who had signed a purchase agreement previously, had given birth at the hospital on December 17.
The Shanxi Datong First People’s Hospital official introduction states that its obstetrics department is the largest in the province, with an annual delivery of 12,700 births, accounting for 40% of the total births in Datong City.